Planeswalker's Guide to Born of the Gods

The Magic Creative TeamWednesday, January 08, 2014

The plane of Theros is a world steeped in myth, legend, and prophecy. Intrepid champions draw upon their inner courage as they battle fearsome monsters. The gods further their own agendas by influencing the fate of mortals who worship them.

When mortals sleep and dream on Theros, they are said to visit Nyx, the proverbial land of dreams and the home of the gods. When they appear to mortals, the gods are infused with Nyx, the night sky intertwined with their physical form. Gifts given from the gods reflect their Nyx origin as well.

This has been the order of things for millennia.

But now the boundaries that separate everyday existence from Nyx are growing dangerously thin. Strange creatures of enchantment are pouring into the mortal world as a new power threatens to disrupt the very nature of Theros.

No longer content to walk the planes of the Multiverse seeking pleasure, Xenagos returned to his home world with an unprecedented ambition: to become the god of revels. In his quest to propel himself to godhood, the satyr Planeswalker began a series of mystical rituals. These rituals had an unanticipated side effect: the blurring of the lines between the realm of the gods and everyday existence. Creatures that used to dwell exclusively in Nyx began appearing in the mortal world. These beings born of the gods' starry domain are known as the "Nyxborn."

The pantheon were ignorant of Xenagos's plan to ascend to godhood, but they recognized that something was amiss. As more Nyxborn beings appeared in the mortal realm, the gods blamed each other for the chaos and, in their anger, sent ferocious Nyxborn creatures against the mortals.

Theros faces a crisis like none before. The gods have turned against humanity. Monsters roam freely even in the cities. The plane is hurtling toward utter destruction. Time is running short!

The gods of Theros, although awe-inspiring, are petty, suspicious, and fickle. Even in the best of times, Mogis, the god of slaughter, was always looking for a fight in the mortal realm. The recent upheaval upset him more than the other gods, and this escalated tensions between the humans and the minotaurs, his favored race. He began sending hordes of mortal and Nyxborn minotaurs against the human cities. Taking the greatest brunt of the minotaur attack was the mountain fortress of Akros—whose patron, Iroas, is Mogis's brother and rival. Other mortal creatures have also taken Mogis's side, swearing to end human civilization.

Elspeth Tirel led an army of heroes from the three major cities—Akros, Meletis, and Setessa—to break the minotaur siege at Akros. The humans were victorious, but at a terrible cost. Worse yet, the victory celebration after the battle became the ultimate ritual to launch Xenagos into Nyx as a god. Elspeth was blamed for his ascension and driven into the wilderness. The Sun's Champion, the greatest hope of mortals, has vanished in disgrace.

Under the twin assault of an angry god and Xenagos's rituals, the city-states of Theros must rely on their own inner strength even more. The human cities have begun to recruit the Nyxborn into their own armies. But using the magic of Nyx against the gods is a desperate and perilous strategy—one that could unravel the plane's very existence.

The Grand Revel instigated by Xenagos is reaching a fever pitch. The mad rollick is spilling across Theros, sweeping up mortal and Nyxborn alike. Oracles prophesy disaster, while humans pray to the patrons of their great poleis to turn aside divine wrath.

Now that the gods have recognized the truth—that a mortal has launched himself into Nyx and forced his way into the pantheon—they are frightened. They have been forced to confront their very nature, not as the creators of the world, but as creations of it. The gods dare not let their worshippers recognize this truth, for fear that their dominion would come to an end.

Yet the paradox of divinity is that god cannot destroy—or create—god. Although they resent Xenagos's intrusion, the rest of the pantheon cannot expel him from their midst. Nor can a being born of Theros strike a god from the sky. Heliod, god of the sun and patron of justice, feels a sense of responsibility for the plane's salvation. He has begun preparing a way to restore the proper order, although what he plans will require much work, and much sacrifice.

The merfolk Kiora, a native of Zendikar, has been traveling the planes to strengthen her connection to the oceans' magic. Her home has been ravaged by the Eldrazi swarm, and she believes that only by summoning the fierce krakens, serpents, and other terrors of the deep can she defeat the titans who now rule Zendikar. She is obsessed with this pursuit and barely notices or cares about its effects on her surroundings.

Kiora has come to Theros in search of the immense sea creatures that dwell here. Shortly after she arrived, she raised up an enormous wave to call to the ocean beasts. The wave smashed against the shore near Meletis and caused considerable damage. It also alerted the tritons, Theros's native merfolk, to a new power in their realm. They sought out the source and encountered Kiora as she rode over the waters on the back of a conjured leviathan.

Some tritons believe that Kiora is an avatar or herald of Thassa, god of the sea. Kiora does not disabuse them of this notion—in fact, she rather enjoys the attention. Thassa, however, might take offense if Kiora continues to appropriate her proper worship.

Learn more about the plane in the "Planeswalker's Guide to Theros," Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.